Powderham Castle

Powderham Castle seen from the south west, flying the heraldic flag of the Earl of Devon
Powderham Castle: 19th-century gatehouse viewed from the west
Powderham Castle, view of the Victorian entrance tower (left) and causeway from the south-west
Powderham Castle, west front, viewed from under the Victorian gatehouse. The leftmost tower dates from 1390 to 1450 as does the main high central block, which originally housed a full-height great hall. The central entrance tower was built 1710–1727. The single-storey projecting room built between the two towers, with three tall gothic-style windows, is the Victorian Dining Hall.[1]
Powderham Castle, 1745 engraving by Samuel & Nathaniel Buck

Powderham Castle is a fortified manor house situated within the parish and former manor of Powderham, within the former hundred of Exminster, Devon, about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of the city of Exeter and 14 mile (0.4 km) north-east of the village of Kenton, where the main public entrance gates are located.[2] It is a Grade I listed building. The park and gardens are Grade II* listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.[3]

It is situated on flat, formerly marshy ground on the west bank of the River Exe estuary where it is joined by its tributary the River Kenn. On the opposite side of the Exe is the small village of Lympstone. Starting with a structure built sometime after 1390, the present castle was expanded and altered extensively in the 18th and 19th centuries. The castle remains the seat of the Courtenay family, Earls of Devon.

  1. ^ Powderham Castle guide book, p. 9.
  2. ^ There is also an unrelated Powderham Castle (a 12th-century earth and timber ringwork fortress) near Crondall, Farnham.
  3. ^ Historic England. "Powderham Castle (1000698)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 February 2016.

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